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Edited on Wed Oct-17-07 08:24 PM by NanceGreggs
There was a time when politicians attacked each others’ positions when they disagreed, not each others’ patriotism.
There was a time when torture was something the other guy stooped to, but something we were morally above even considering.
There was a time when neighbors discussed their party affiliation, instead of not speaking to each other because of it.
There was a time when Support the Troops meant ensuring that soldiers were sent into combat well-equipped, well-trained, and well-rested, instead of being a meaningless sticker on the bumper of a car.
There was a time our government treated wounded veterans as honored servicemen in need of help, and not a financial liability in need of being gotten rid of.
There was a time when a president united a country when facing an adversary, instead of dividing it into those with him and against him, regardless of the facts, the truth, or the consequences.
There was a time when Christian values led to believing in His message of peace, tolerance and understanding, instead of believing in money-grubbing hucksters disguised as Christian leaders, willing to deliver the votes of the faithful to the highest bidder.
There was a time when moral values referred to how you lived your life, and not how often you excused your own immoral behavior by saying God had already forgiven you, end of discussion.
There was a time when hypocrisy was the downfall of a politician, and not a ticket to higher office.
There was a time when the poor and homeless were seen as down-and-out people in need of a helping hand up, and not as lazy slackers deserving of nothing more than a slap-down.
There was a time when journalists were watchdogs who questioned the government’s policies, instead of lap-dogs who sold the government’s agenda. In fact, there was a time when there were journalists.
There was a time when the American president was considered to be the smartest guy in the room, and not the dumbest guy in the country.
There was a time when the American presidency was decided by the voters, and not a decision made by the Supreme Court, or a decision made by questionable electronic apparatus.
There was a time when corporations spent their money convincing consumers of the quality of their product, and not convincing politicians of the quantity of their campaign contributions.
There was a time when banks made a profit by investing in the new homeowner, the new business operator, the new student, instead of making a profit by exploiting their naivete in an attempt to improve their lives.
There was a time when Americans were at the top of the list when companies were looking for employees, and not at the back of the line behind cheaper laborers in foreign lands.
There was a time when wearing a flag lapel pin was a sign of individual patriotism, and not a political statement to be judged by.
There was a time when attaining the wealth of the American Dream meant contributing your tax dollars when you got there, not contributing to office-seekers who would let you off the hook.
There was a time when disparaging the military service of your political opponent meant he’d never served and you did, not the other way around.
There was a time when announcing your five deferments because you had other priorities in a time of war fought by draftees would have resulted in derision, instead of a vice presidency.
There was a time when prisoners-of-war, torture, and innocent victims were called just that, and were not labeled as enemy combatants, enhanced interrogation techniques, and collateral damage in an effort to obfuscate the truth.
There was a time when spreading freedom and democracy wasn’t a euphemism for destroying a people in a pursuit of stealing their natural resources.
There was a time when the President of the United States spoke and people around the world listened without being outraged by the words, without questioning the truth of the words, without laughing at the words and the person who said them.
There is something to be said about being old enough to remember such things, because you can look back on what used to be, and find hope in the fact that it might be again.
But there is something truly sad in remembering things that your grandchildren might never accept as having ever been, because their world may end up being so incredibly distant from what once was.
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